Memory, Tradition, Location

5.04.2011

Continuing on in my sentimentality this week, I've been thinking about memory, tradition and location. Personally, I attach memories mostly to music and smells. There are songs I cannot listen to because I get absorbed into a particular time in my life when I listened to that song and the feelings I had then surface and I get overwhelmed by them. It's similar with smells. I don't realize until later, that whatever scented products I was using during a particular time in my life will be forever attached to them. When I smell them later I'm immediately taken back to that memory.

Then there are the actual locations. I've seen it happen with both my parents when we visit the towns they grew up in. They want to drive around and just look at things. There's a familiarity there. They tell stories about all places, they know their way around, they know all the local "spots" that you can't miss when going through that town. I have this same experience now when I go home to North Carolina. There's something exciting about the familiarity. I'm proud of knowing my way around so well. I know all the local places I want to visit or eat at while I'm in town and try to fit them all in.

Most communities have things that make them unique. Whenever you visit somewhere, it's always best to know someone local who can take you around to the "good places" that you have to experience when visiting or passing through. The traditions. I think you could travel all over the U.S. and experience lots of different traditions and unique communities and maybe never run out of places to go. But to truly experience them, you need someone who knows them.

It seems like food is one of the biggest things that can be traced back to a particular place. Everyone has their local places.

Buffalo is obviously famous for Buffalo Wings. We have the Anchorbar, Duffs, etc. Wings, pizza and subs just are not as good in the South. Chains barely survive up here because of all the local pizza places. They are known for chicken wing subs and pizza, beef on a weck, Dibella's Old Fashioned Submarines, Mighty Taco, Chevetta's Barbeque and Fish Fry's.

Syracuse has a lot of local favorites but none more famous than Dinosaur Barbeque. I'm in love with Wango Tango sauce. And both, along with much of the North, have Tim Hortons and Wegmans. If I ever move South again, I will no doubt crave all of these. The loss of Wegmans might even break my heart.

But at the moment, I'm thinking about home...and I'm craving Chik-fil-a, Bojangles, Cook Out, Carter Brothers biscuits, CORNBREAD (so different up here), hushpuppies, Cheerwine, Sweet Tea, Mellow Mushroom, Foothills, Jack's Corner, etc. And even though I don't really eat donuts, Krispy Kreme's are superior to all other donuts. Hands down. Anytime I'm home I hit as many of these spots as possible.

Now I'm hungry.

Have I gotten your mind turning about the traditions and local spots in your town? If I have, I want to know about them. Specifically, if you know the good places to hit in New Orleans, I definitely want to know those in preparation for our trip this fall.